The surprising thing about planning

Planning is supposed to help students with managing their study time outside the classroom. Indeed, when planning the student allows himself or herself time to get their assignments done before deadlines and always be prepared for the classes. Surprisingly, planning may also have the opposite effect. In fact, as a result of it students might experience frustration and reluctance to study, which in turn could lead to lower academic achievement.

I have recently been wondering why I appear to be less productive in this semester than in the fall semester and accidentally found the answer in the last part of this TED talk video.

As it turned out my academic inefficiency came from my own planning. This semester I decided to take advantage of being a student and dedicate more of my time to studying. I started organizing my schedule by putting my academic progress as an absolute priority and eventually had to limit my free time activities. I found myself skipping my Korean and dance classes, procrastinating buying a gym pass and turning down several part-time job offers. Consequently, I ended up with lots of free time for the university and almost nothing that could balance it on the other edge. No wonder I felt less like studying and was happy to grab any opportunity to do something more fun than reading and writing.

On the whole, it is essential to have adequate amount of time not to rush your studies and get stressed by it. But on the other hand students should not underestimate the importance of allocating time to themselves and things they love doing. Balance is one of the key features in organizing one’s time efficiently. If you are carrying out the same activity for too long, your productivity level will sooner or longer drop. It is natural. Putting your leisure activities in your schedule first could be a way to plan effectively.